OT Gilchrist is out of form and too old LOL

Yes he is a gifted batsman & an eye like a blackman.
Definately great to watch when on song.:o)))
Bob.

He's the Nissan of keepers.

I would have to put it up there with one of if not the best innings I have ever seen......It was pure Gold.....Look out in the one dayers.......No lets see the Aussies roll the Poms tomorrow.........

It made great viewing, it doesn't happen very often.

A great days batting after a wobbly start, the poms bowled reasonably well but failed to capitalize

It will be interesting to see if the poms come out looking for a win or will they be after a draw. It will take a world record run chase for them to win I understand.

Down and out is he... I think not... hes an absolute legend is Gillie... However, lets not forget Husso and Clarkey... equally good knocks if not at world record pace. And perhaps a moment of silence for Marto... It was like Mark Waugh lived on through him... He will be sorely missed...

I too am a worn out has been keeper-batsman the same as Gilly. So by that rationale I should be scoring tonnes in test cricket too. It's all politics that has held me back.

Healy is still the best gloveman. The poms have to pick Read, the second keeper now after Jones missed stumping Clarke and stuffed the catch against Huss. Two expensive misses.

Barnesy

Like you Barnesy, I am worn out as well. I've been glued to the set as well messaging on 2 cricket blogs - one Aussle blog, the other based in the UK.

My goodness gracious it's been the greatest 2 days of Pommie Bashing that I've had since I left England. I love it when they start devouring thier own team.

Husseys and Clarkes innings were diamonds of how to bat correctly. None of this agricultural ploughboy swinging - just good old fashioned cover driving. I betcha Pietersen was taking notes and videos for when he bats next,,,,,,,,

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,which will be around 1130 hours tomorrow, WA time ;)

Bilbo

Yep! nothing like watching the 'red leather' fly.

yeah and just remember, bradman was double that average...
and wasnt a total cricketer, had to goto work and there was a war in there somewhere.. so how fkn good was he!

dave

The Grey Nomads
Relaxed forum for the grey nomad community to keep in touch

Gee, it was so painful to watch little old Gillie to struggle with the bat...... Thought he might not be able to lift the bat or see the ball anymore. Well some of the commentators are quick to write a player off.
Didn't work this time, the "worn out little man" showed them on which side the hammer hangs! Well done all of you boys, it was fun to watch! One get to the stage to feel almost sorry for the Poms.....
Cheers

"If the ump had the balls to call a wide on the 56th ball, Gillie would have matched Viv."

I thought wides go to sundries and not onto batsmans score? Or do you mean the ball is not counted and he would have another crack at it next ball?

Anyway - Yes I watched it as well - good stuff

Cheers
Greg

Am i the only one that finds cricket these days as dull as watching someone, watching someone else watching paint dry?

What ever happened to sport? I realise cricket is only a business these days, nothing really to do with sport, which brings me to another annoying thing, when they compare todays team/bowlers/batsman with those of the great 80's era.. Back then, the whole team, and probably 3 teams in the tour were gettin paid about 1/103820982309832409340598430589th the amount each player gets now?

And Sporting declarations, giving the opposition a chance and making the game interesting?

England have 0 chance of scoring 350, let alone 500+, so in that, there is no interest as England will only try and hold out, and not have a go. Gee, thats exciting. Block, miss, block, miss, block, let one go - OVER

FWIW I know how the game works I played cricket (from captain, keeper, opening bowler, to batsman in the years), and rep cricket for 20+ yrs in the Shire.

Bring on the 1 dayers then again, the other team is Sri Lanka - another bunch of winners.

Bring Back sport

i forgot.
what did he get in the first innings
haha
just kidding hes a great player and i was waiting for him to go out so i could leave the tv and cook some dinner geez i got hungry.
cheers

Jim your right he is in absolutely shocking form!!!!
Absolutely shockingly good form!!!!

I have always liked the bloke and think he is great for the game, That second innings performance was a reflection of how good he actually is for the game.
Go Gillie!!!!

When viewing Ricky Pontings so alled "sporting declarations" we must all remember the dust up between him and the England coach, Duncan Fletcher when The Ashes were lost.

There is a big axe to grind here and no way is Ponting going to give the Poms an inch of latitude. He had a good teacher - "The Killing Machine", "The Iceman",Steve Waugh.

He's gonna marmalise 'em if he gets half a chance.

Mind you, I reckon that Ponting has been a tad overgenerous with letting 'em bat for 2 whole days. They have a small chance of frustrating a draw out of it.

But,,,,,,,he's a pro and I just watch TV

Bilbo

Heard from the mouth of Gillie himself on an interview today that Ricky meant "no, keep batting" but Gilly took it the wrong way... So it wasnt really a declaration... Just a cesation of batting i guess...

And truckster, while I agree in that the Poms need to loosen their ties and stop stop chokin all the time... They were lookin pretty good for most of the day... Lovely game cricket... you can be cruisin all day then have it all fall to bleep e in no time flat...

The English Team for the Perth Test,,,,,,

"Freddie Flintoff" - lovely lad, has a reputation that's not seen much over here.
Seems to have trouble setting field that's not two overs behind the game.
Has problems setting a field to English strike bowlers - everybody does
don't they? Been set up as the fall guy for losing The Ashes as Michael
Vaughan is a gentleman,Freddie is just a nice lad (read "mug") from
Lancashire.

Strauss - "Seth Effrican" - always dodgy. Flails the bat around off stump a
lot. Never really intends to hit the ball, just frighten it a bit. Umpires
hate him,,,,,,,,even "Seth Effrikaan" umpires it seems. Maybe he has no
friends at all? Loves the new ball so much he leaves 'em that way - new!

Cook - after todays effort (Sunday over here) I like the lad. He's shown
that he has the stamina to do it, but has he got the strokes. Time will
tell.

Bell - Ding, Dong, what can I say? Warney has him completely baffled. Looks
like he has brain damage when facing leg spinners. Can't believe a cricket
ball can actually move THAT FAR!

Collingwood - they named a Royal Navy battleship, "Collingwood". It could
have been named after this guy. A gritty, determined batsmen that is not
overly endowed with striking talent but he's a tryer. Would bat at number 10
if he were in the Australian line up he impresses me that much.

Pietersen - well here he is eh!! The Wunderkinden, the Great White Hope, The
Ubertonkenmeister - another "Seth Effricaan". My opinion Ian? CRAP. And I'm
not taking the piss either. This guy is that far up himself his digestive
system is a loop. KP is only interested in KP. The future of English Cricket
means nothing to KP. He hasn't got a clue how to measure a game for 5 days.
He's McDonalds, he's popcorn, he's instant gratification for people that
don't realllyyy understand cricket, But he can hit a ball hard and that's
what gets bums on seats these days. When he hooks he looks like he's about
to dislocate both arms or he's having a fit of some kind. We haven't seen
him do two consecutive cover drives or two drives of any kind within two
overs. Let the side down badly when he attempted to shepherd the tail
enders in the 1st innings. Looked all at sea when asked to think. A
"chancer" with a good set of eyes is the best I can say.

"Freddie" - hasn't been a hit with the bat or ball - see above as a Captain.
Shame really as I like him as a bloke. He would make a good Australian.

Jones - Wicket keeper? I think he is anyway. Batsman? Dunno. Haven't seen
him bat yet! He's on the pitch all padded up one minute and gone the next?
Apparently there's DNA tests being done over here - Duncan Fletcher and
Geraint Jones - to see if they are in fact blood related. If these tests
come back positive then Duncan Fletcher is to be arrested for incest.
Personally I wouldn't bother with the DNA test - the results aren't in
doubt.

Giles - is not an ECB salaried player. Came to "Oz" on a freelance contract,
so I've read. Closely related to Duncan Fletcher who arranged for Ashley to
visit relatives over here as long as Ashley promised to roll his arm over
for the lads. Ashley fulfilled his end of the bargain, We saw it with our
own eyes, on TV, live.

Hoggard - now this lad I really like. An honest to God workhorse that can
actually bowl. Love the guy. Has been offered an Australian Passport, his
own Australian goldmine, a cattle station, his choice of women on Cottesloe
beach, free beer for life, university places for his kids and a dishwasher
for his missus. Hoggy - yer fantastic!

Harmison - Came to "Oz" as England's strike bowler. Since being in "Oz, has
seen an optician and these rumours have since been dispelled. He's legally
blind and now runs in with a guide dog. Geraint Jones then shouts "Here!!"
just as Harmy passes the wicket and he lets the ball go where he thinks
Jonesy's voice is coming from. Should go far- as long as he doesn't lose the
dog when he lets the lead go. Freddie Flintoff has had trouble setting a
field for the dog.

Mahmooud - unknown quantity. Rumoured to cook a good vindaloo. Cooks for the
Barmy Harmy every night as it's costing 'em a fortune phoning Bristol for
takeaway.

Finally, the little boy that nobody loved, the lad caught in the storm -
Monty!! Lets hear a good Australian ROAR for Monty. He can bowl, he can bat,
he can field ( a bit). We Aussies will take him any day. He's a cricket
enthusiast, he's keen, he wants to be on the field, he wants to be on the
team, he wants to take wickets Ashley Giles is taking lessons from him. We
love him. It's just a pity that Duncan Fletcher doesn't. Top stuff Monty.

Bilbo